Buck McKeon retirement rumors spark jockeying

Rep. Buck McKeon says he’s not planning to retire at the end of his term, but that hasn’t stopped Republican colleagues from eyeing his committee chairmanship and Democrats from targeting his seat.

The 74-year-old chairman of the House Armed Services Committee looks like a shoo-in for a 12th term in his California district, having won reelection last year with nearly 55 percent of the vote. But will he run?

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“At this time, the congressman has no plans to retire,” said Alissa McCurley, a spokeswoman for McKeon’s personal office. And a Republican congressional aide cautioned that Capitol Hill chatter about McKeon’s potential retirement is just that — and that McKeon has not made up his mind about reelection.

Regardless, congressional staffers and lobbyists alike are discussing the possibility of McKeon’s retirement — and what it could mean for the Armed Services Committee. Over the past several years, McKeon has emerged as a leading voice on defense issues.

Now, Democrats say they have a chance to flip a seat McKeon has held for two decades.

“Congressman McKeon represents what’s wrong with Washington — from out-of-touch sequester policies that hurt the local military to ethical questions that raise real concerns,” said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Even if McKeon decides to run, Ferguson said, Democrats would make it a tougher fight this time around.

“There are enough Democratic voters in this district, so Congressman McKeon should certainly be worried that this Republican congressional agenda makes him vulnerable and his best bet might be to get out while he can.”

McKeon took the helm of the committee in 2011, replacing Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton. McKeon had served as the committee’s ranking member from 2009, when President Barack Obama picked John McHugh, a New York Republican, to become secretary of the Army.

The Flash Report, an influential California political blog, reported last month that McKeon had been “talking with prominent political leaders in his district and informing them that he may be retiring at the end of his current term.” The site said it was “only a matter of time before McKeon makes his announcement formally.”

McKeon’s staffers have told industry leaders a decision could come before the end of this year.

But whether McKeon runs again or not, because of committee term limits, the Armed Services Committee could get a new chairman next Congress, provided Republicans hold the House and McKeon doesn’t receive a waiver to retain his seat.

Industry sources pointed to Texas Republican Mac Thornberry as the committee’s “heir apparent,” and said he has been actively working to position himself to succeed McKeon.

Thornberry has emerged as one of the leading Republicans tackling the issue of cybersecurity and strengthening the nation’s digital defenses. The congressman led the House Republican Cybersecurity Task Force in 2011 and has also been vocal about the impact of sequestration on Pentagon spending.

He has also been working to prove his fundraising mettle, hoping to show Republican congressional leaders that he has what it takes to be a successful committee chairman, according to a GOP defense industry source.

While it’s still early in the 2014 cycle, Thornberry has already raised more than $37,000 for the National Republican Congressional Committee. During the 2012 cycle, he raised more than $267,000.